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“I did not like that man,” she said as they left.
“There wasn't much to like,” William agreed.
“He treated me like an animal. I might be a pet, but I am still a person.”
“There are those in the city who would debate that,” William said grimly. “There are those who think that people with your mutation are not properly human.”
“I do not like them either.”
They walked toward the transporter in silence. The nasty gnawy feeling was back. She looked up at him and saw very little in the way of expression on his face. He seemed neither upset, nor angry, nor happy nor pleased, nor any emotion she could place.
“I should not have left the house,” she said as they stood on the transporter. “It was a mistake.”
“Yes,” William agreed. “It was.”
Nothing more was said about it as the transporter swept them first up into the air and thence toward William's domicile. Though there was plenty of room on the platform, she pressed close to his side, taking solace in his strong presence.
At first he did nothing, then he put his arm around her. She knew she was in trouble, but the small gesture reminded her that he cared.
The moment the transporter stopped, she bolted into the house without being told. She made straight for her room, for the bed which she had so missed during those hours in the crate. Burrowing into the sheets, she curled them around and around until she was wrapped up in a soft plethora of comforting scents. The sheets smelled like her, and like William, and like home.
She heard him enter the room behind her. “You are in trouble, Sarah,” he said grimly. “But I'm glad you're home. Get some sleep. You will need it.”
His words sound ominous, but all Sarah heard was the warmth contained in them. He cared. He cared and that was all that mattered.
The following day was not at all pleasant for Sarah. It began shortly after she awoke and ate. William was in his office. She could hear him in there, working away with fast tapping. The sound made her nervous, but it was even scarier when it stopped.
She was eating a sausage when William emerged. A pair of spectacles were perched on his nose, making him look a little more serious than usual. A little less hunter, a little more... something else. He looked over the rims and she felt an excited fizz in her loins.
“Sarah,” he said sternly. “Finish your meal and see me in my office.”
She still had half a sausage left, but she couldn't seem to find an appetite to consume it. Abandoning her meal, she went and found him.
“I'm ready,” she said in a small voice.
William removed his spectacles and laid them carefully down in front of him. “I told you not to leave the house,” he said. “And you did. I told you that the city was dangerous, and you exposed yourself to it regardless. Why would you do that?”
“I thought the danger you meant was a different sort of danger,” Sarah tried to explain. “I am used to danger.”
“But not the danger of the city.”
“No,” she agreed. “Not the danger of the city. I am used to creatures that stalk and attack. Not men who shoot bolts of hellfire and lightning, and cage their prey.”
“There is no hunter more dangerous than a human,” William agreed. “The pet catchers do not often get to flex their muscle. When they do, they are quite diligent in their duties.”
“You didn't tell me that I might be caught,” she said. “You didn't tell me anything in particular.”
“I told you not to leave the house. That should have been enough.” His tone grew curt and she knew that arguing was not a good idea.
Lowering her head, Sarah looked toward her toes and hoped that he would take pity on her. His next question dashed that hope.
“What did I say would happen if you left?”
“You...” She couldn't finish the sentence. He had promised to discipline her. He had promised to spank her. She shouldn't have been afraid of saying that, in fact, ordinarily she wouldn't have been, but something had changed since her visit to the kennels.
“I said I would spank you until sitting comfortably was a distant dream,” he said, finishing her aborted sentence.
“But I don't want you to.”
“You don't want me to?” He almost chuckled. “Well, you had a chance to avoid this, and you decided to take the action which would lead to it anyway.”
“What is the point of this spanking?”
“The point? It's to teach you how to behave.”
“By punishing me for what I did?”
“Yes.”
“But I was already punished. I was caught. I was... shocked. I was scared.” She looked up under her eyelashes, giving him a pleading look.
“I'm sure you were.” He stood up from behind his desk and came to her, wrapping his arms around her slender frame. “But being scared yesterday doesn't mean you won't be disciplined today. You have to learn to listen to me, not to ignore what I say and learn your lesson the hard way.”
